a town of Naples, the seat of an archbishop, and capital of the province of Principato Citra, in a beautiful country at the foot of a branch of the Apennines, at the head of the Gulf of Salerno, 30 miles S.E. of Naples. The older parts of the town are ill and irregularly built, with narrow, dirty streets; but the Marina or quay, which was built by the French, forms a fine promenade, extending for about a mile along the shore. The principal edifice is the cathedral, which has been so much repaired and Sales. altered in modern times that it exhibits a most singular combination of different styles of architecture, of the ancient and of the modern. It was founded in 1084 by Robert Guiscard, who did not hesitate to plunder the ruins of Paestum in order to enrich it, nor to employ the heathen sculptures to embellish this Christian fane. Hence the singular appearance of the tombs of some of the archbishops, adorned with the "Triumphs" of Bacchus and Ariadne, and the "Rape of Proserpine." In the crypt lies, according to the tradition of the church, the body of St Matthew. Other celebrated and probably more authentic tombs are also to be seen here,—of Hildebrand, Pope Gregory VII. (who died here in exile), of the second wife, the son, and the grandson of Robert Guiscard. Of the many other churches in Salerno none are very remarkable, nor are there any other buildings of much interest. The lyceum is said to be one of the best schools in the kingdom, and has inherited from the former university the privilege of conferring degrees. The port was once very good; and is well sheltered, but now almost useless from the accumulation of sand. A fair for cattle and other goods is held here annually in September; and is resorted to by great numbers of the peasantry, exhibiting a most picturesque variety of costumes. The ancient Salernum occupied the same site, or rather stood on the hill behind the modern town, where the ruins of the medieval citadel are still to be seen, and where some antiquities have been dug up. A fort seems to have stood here before it was colonized by the Romans, 194 B.C.; but its previous history is unknown. Indeed, the only notable circumstance in its ancient annals is its capture during the Social War by the Samnite general Papius. It was, however, a place of consequence under the empire, and appears to have been frequented as a watering-place. But it was not till after the fall of the Western Empire that Salerno rose to its height. It passed first into the hands of the Goths, then into those of the Lombards, from whom it was taken by the Saracens in 905; but fifteen years after, it was recovered by the Greek emperor, and subsequently reverted to the Lombards. In 1076 Salerno was taken, after a siege of eight months, by Robert Guiscard; and thenceforward became the capital of the Norman possessions south of the Apennines. It is described at this period as remarkable for its amenity and its splendid palaces, its fruits and its wine, the beauty of its women, and the honesty of its men. The celebrated school of medicine, the first that arose in the darkness of Europe, was then in the zenith of its prosperity, under the patronage and protection of the Norman dukes. The university existed till 1817, when it was replaced by the present lyceum. At Salerno, in 1127, the kingdom of Naples was founded by the election of Roger II. to the crown. In 1193 the town was destroyed by the Emperor Henry VI.; but from this blow it soon after recovered. Its course, however, has been in modern times one of decline to its present condition. Pop. (1849) 16,000.